The Greek ekdēmeō means to be away from home — to emigrate or be absent from one's native place. Paul uses it in 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 to contrast being 'at home in the body' (endēmeō) with being 'away from the Lord,' and 'away from the body' (ekdēmeō) with being 'at home with the Lord.' The word frames the entire Christian life as a journey between two homes.
Paul's use of ekdēmeō in 2 Corinthians 5 is one of the most profound NT meditations on death, resurrection, and the believer's longing. To be 'at home' in the body is to be in exile from the Lord's immediate presence. To ekdēmeō from the body — to die — is to arrive home with the Lord. This does not mean Paul minimizes bodily life (he wants to be clothed, not naked — v.4), but that his deepest orientation is always toward the greater home. For the believer, death is not departure but arrival.